Croquet
Leader: | Les Hazlewood |
Day: | Every Tuesday from 2pm - 4pm (Summer) |
Place: | The Bowling Green Inn, Shaw Lane, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, B60 4BH |
Cost: | Members are expected to buy a drink and/or food |
We are a social Croquet Group who are not overly competitive. Croquet is a healthy outdoor sport and sociable pastime played by people of all ages. It is simple to learn, fun to play and does not require any great level of fitness. We welcome beginners and can provide the playing equipment needed. No special clothing or footwear is required, just what is comfortable for an hour or two’s gentle exercise. Balls, hoops, mallets, etc are all provided, but please feel free to bring your own mallet if you have one.
At the rear of the Bowling Green Inn is a flat, finely-cut, bowling green that used to be used by a Bowling Club who have now moved elsewhere. However, the pub still maintains it for the use of their customers, and we have an arrangement with the landlord to play croquet on this bowling green on Tuesday afternoons.
We play a variation of the game of Association Croquet (the variant depending on the number of players available). Basically, the game comprises 2 teams (usually of 2 players per team), attempting to play their 2 balls through 6 hoops in both directions, and hitting the finishing peg. We do not play "Golf Croquet", where each player takes it in turn to play one shot. Instead, we play the traditional game where each player has an extra shot for knocking their ball through a hoop, and 2 extra shots from a roquet, ie hitting another ball with their ball and thus earning an extra shot known as a croquet (which is where the game gets its name) and a further shot following the croquet shot. In practice we do not expect to complete a full game in 2 hours. Note that it is possible to accommodate a larger number of players, by having more than 2 players per team, and/or by playing a second game (with different coloured balls) on the same playing area at the same time. As of 2020 we now have a set of "second colour" balls so that we can play a second game if the numbers require it.
There are no regular charges for attending this group. However, the arrangement we have with The Bowling Green Inn, is that our use of their bowling green is provided on the basis that we are their customers. So, they expect everyone to buy a drink (possibly several), and/or food. Members of the group are encouraged to take lunch in the pub from about 12.30 pm before playing in the afternoon.
For more information click on the Envelope icon to the right to send an email to the Group Leader